Changing Lanes

Well folks, sadly it’s been a few months since I’ve posted to this blog.  Since my last post, work was at its peak.  The spring semester is most often the busiest for me, and while I love the work, it leaves little time (and energy) for extracurricular writing such as this.

During this hectic time, I found myself in need of reflection (via writing) on my work in addition to the other things I typically write about (like crafts and home life).  But, at the time I did not feel that this blog was the appropriate outlet for writing about work.

After a while, though, I started to question this.  Why couldn’t this blog be a place for me to write about my work or anything else in my life for that matter?

I was so proud of my leadership students presenting at a conference in Portland this past spring. This is something I would have loved to share with the Merging Lanes readership.

I originally created Merging Lanes to document and reflect on the process of joining two lives together (my husband’s and mine).  Why couldn’t it also be about the merging going on within my life?  Certainly there is a convergence of my work and home life.  And not only is it appropriate for me to write about this experience, but it’s also healthy.

The main concern is, of course, that a reader who is interested in what I have to write about regarding challenges and successes at work, may not be interested in the latest DIY project I completed at home, and vice versa.  However,  I’m interested in both of these areas (and more) – we are a complex people.  Surely, I’m not the only person with a passion for higher education and DIY wedding crafts.  And if I am, today’s technology makes it possible for a fan of either interest to quickly and easily find what he or she is looking for within these webpages via categories and tags.

Ultimately, I realize that this blog is mostly read by me and therefore is written for me.  I am not so self-inflated to think I have an audience of hundreds to serve.  However, if anyone out there in the ether is reading and is upset by the changes that Merging Lanes is about to undergo, I offer my sincerest apologies.

Finally, I am also aware that this month marks the two-year anniversary of this blog – a definite record for me.  In honor of the anniversary and to keep things from going stale, I believe some changes are in order.

You’ll first note that I’ve made changes to the appearance of the blog.  Over the course of the next month or so, I will also be adding some additional pages to help organize the new content I will be adding.

I’m currently reading this memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin, along with my dad. I’m excited to share my thoughts on it in a new book review feature.

 

As for the content, here are some things to expect:

• Wedding Wednesdays will be a new feature, highlighting projects completed for my own wedding as well as things I find interesting around the web.
• I’ll continue New Music Friday’s (instituted this past year).  It has been a fun addition that I enjoy writing.
• Other content areas will include: reflections on work, continued posts on completed crafts and other home life related topics (like entertaining, decorating, etc.), and the addition of book reviews.

I look forward to continuing to share the merging process with you.  Thanks for reading.

-mjh